Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Join The Branch. Sarnia LLC ("we," "us," or "our") operates the jointhebranch.com website (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our Service.

By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

When you register for an account or use our Service, we may collect the following personal information:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number
• Address Information: Home address (street address, city, state, zip code)
• Account Credentials: Username and password (encrypted)
• Vendor Information: If you add vendor listings, we collect business names, contact information, website addresses, and service descriptions
• User-Generated Content: Borrow requests, proposals, vendor reviews, ratings, and community posts

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you access our Service, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage:

• Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device type
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, search queries
• Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address
• Log Data: Access times, error logs, and referral URLs

2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to monitor activity on our Service and store certain information. Cookies are files with small amounts of data that may include an anonymous unique identifier.

Types of cookies we use:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the Service to function properly, including session management and authentication
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our Service through Google Analytics
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings
• Performance Cookies: Collect information about how you use our Service to improve functionality

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for various purposes:

• Provide and Maintain the Service: Create and manage your account, facilitate connections between users and vendors, enable community features
• Improve User Experience: Personalize your experience, understand user preferences, and enhance Service functionality
• Communication: Send you service-related emails, notifications about borrow requests and proposals, community updates, and respond to your inquiries
• Analytics: Monitor and analyze usage patterns, track Service performance, and generate aggregate statistics
• Security: Detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraudulent activity, and security threats
• Legal Compliance: Comply with legal obligations, enforce our Terms and Conditions, and protect our rights
• Marketing: Send you newsletters, promotional materials, and updates about new features (you can opt out at any time)

4. How We Share Your Information

4.1 Within Your Community

When you join a community, certain information (such as your name, profile information, borrow requests, proposals, and vendor ratings) may be visible to other members of that community. This sharing is essential to the functionality of the Service.

4.2 With Service Providers

We may share your information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf:

• Hosting Services: Heroku (for application hosting and infrastructure)
• Analytics Services: Google Analytics (for usage analytics and insights)
• Email Services: Email service providers for sending transactional and marketing emails

These service providers have access to your personal information only to perform specific tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency), or to:

• Comply with legal obligations
• Protect and defend our rights or property
• Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
• Protect the personal safety of users or the public
• Protect against legal liability

4.4 Business Transfers

If Sarnia LLC is involved in a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or bankruptcy, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice before your personal information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

4.5 With Your Consent

We may share your information with third parties when you give us explicit consent to do so.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide you with the Service and fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. We do not currently have an automatic data deletion policy.

We will retain and use your information to the extent necessary to:

• Maintain community records and historical data
• Comply with legal obligations
• Resolve disputes
• Enforce our agreements

If you wish to delete your account or request deletion of your personal information, please contact us at support@jointhebranch.com. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using SSL/TLS protocols
• Secure password hashing
• Regular security assessments
• Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Secure hosting infrastructure with Heroku

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

7. Your Privacy Rights

7.1 General Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request access to your personal information we hold
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal obligations)
• Objection: Object to our processing of your personal information
• Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent to process your information

7.2 California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know: You have the right to request information about the personal information we have collected about you in the past 12 months, including:
  • Categories and specific pieces of personal information collected
  • Categories of sources from which the information was collected
  • Business or commercial purpose for collecting the information
  • Categories of third parties with whom we share personal information
• Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
• Right to Opt-Out: You have the right to opt out of the "sale" of your personal information. We do not sell your personal information as defined by the CCPA
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights

To exercise your California privacy rights, please contact us at support@jointhebranch.com with the subject line "California Privacy Request."

7.3 European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). While our Service is primarily focused on the United States, if we process your data, you have the right to:

• Access, update, or delete your personal information
• Rectification of inaccurate data
• Object to or restrict processing of your data
• Data portability
• Withdraw consent at any time
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

8. Third-Party Links

Our Service may contain links to third-party websites, including vendor websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

9. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately. If we discover that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

We are based in the United States, and your information is processed in the United States. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States.

11. Do Not Track Signals

Some web browsers have a "Do Not Track" feature that lets you tell websites that you do not want to have your online activities tracked. We do not currently respond to Do Not Track signals or similar mechanisms.

12. Email Communications and Opt-Out

We may send you emails related to your account, including:

• Transactional emails (account creation, password resets, borrow request notifications)
• Service updates and announcements
• Marketing and promotional emails

You can opt out of marketing emails by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any marketing email or by contacting us at support@jointhebranch.com. Please note that you cannot opt out of transactional emails that are necessary for the operation of your account.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy
• Sending you an email notification (for material changes)

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

We will respond to your inquiry within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 days.

15. Consent

By using our Service, you consent to this Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.